


Golden Shards (discontinued)

by PureheartClubhouse (Raccoonclubhouse), Raccoonclubhouse



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Flashbacks, M/M, No Smut, Slow Burn, Unresolved Romantic Tension, sorry folks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21714496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raccoonclubhouse/pseuds/PureheartClubhouse, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raccoonclubhouse/pseuds/Raccoonclubhouse
Summary: His nemesis is dead. The valley is his,and soon the Pureheart will be too.  Hes gotten what he always wanted. You'd think Oragnusnake would consider himself the happiest guy around,and he thought he would too,yet despite everything,he  doesnt seem to feel that way.He cant stop thinking about Mao Mao. He cant stop thinking about the night he died and everything before that.Perhaps theres more to the situation then hes been letting on.
Relationships: Orangumao
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

Orangnusnake stared at the Mao Mao,slumped on the ground in defeat, and he stared straight back. There was something missing in that gaze that made it seem almost as if he was staring down a different individual entirely. There was always a bit of a spark of light in MaoMaos gaze ,a sort of fiery determination. It's been diminished,burnt out to nothing but ash.  
Now those ever so energetic evergreen eyes bare him down with something dark and cold. It was as if his sorrows were enough to keep any fragment of light away. It frightened him, he wondered if something more then his own doing could cause such a look.

His sword dangled right above the felines head,barely touching Mao Maos whiskers. Orangunusnake could achieve his long awaited goal with one swift movement. He thought this moment would be more then gratifying,but now the weight of his sword remained idle in the air,aching his arm from maintaining its stillness. He realized he couldn't bring himself to do it,to even muster the courage to move a muscle. Perhaps it wasnt fear alone keeping him motionless,an idea Orangnusnake dare not entertain. 

The prolonged silence had drawn out much past Mao Maos patience.  
"Go ahead."  
Mao Mao spoke hoarsely,he didnt have enough energy to sound agitated.The words were uncharacteristically monotone and quiet,yet rough.  
Orangnusnake could tell his stare had started to shift into something more empathetic, as he felt his emotions get the better of his features, Mao Mao broke the stare off,his glare now facing downwards.

The quiet had dwindled for too long ,it was time,  
Oragnusnake made his choice.

____________________________  
Several days since achieving nearly everything he may ever want. Now sitting in front of a large feast,his stomach remained empty. Whatever he may desire to eat lay within inches of reach,of much more luxurious quality then his imagination could fathom,and he had no appetite.  
His hungerless dilemma was not shared amongst his peers.

"Look at it all! Way better then what my mom used to make me eat!"  
Ratarang exclaimed victoriously, ever since Mao Mao was out of the picture,the Skypirates were swift in claiming their rewards. Dominating the entirety of the valley within the span of a meager few hours. All that was left was a plan to master the Pureheart to their own doing. They had no trouble putting their intimidation to use,the sweetypies were more then easy to frighten. Whatever they pleased that could be offered came to them.  
That including,an entire buffet worth of food from the kings kitchen firsthand. The king,stood by the sidelines, harmless to act,yet nonetheless disgusted at the inelegant fashion hey devoured their food.  
"Oh! Have you no manners!"  
Snugglemagne spoke in disgust.  
"Now,y'all be respectful now."  
Hoss was quick to argue,the only one who had put more food in his mouth then on his face.

"We gotta leave a good influence for manners if we're gonna be runnin' the place."  
Snugglemagne appeared mildly relieved that atleast one of them had a sense of civility.

"No needta! Do what we want ,eh?"  
Ratarang commented slyly.  
Snugglemagne huffed melodramatically,just enough to be heard  
.  
"My word! You cant go around just doing what you want! That's imposterous,you've not even gotten to the pureheart yet."

"Well,you were certainly easy t'cower..and I havent seen sign of the other sheriff's. Just a matter of time n' gettin the resources."

Orangnusnake was oddly quiet

____________________

Mao Maos priceless sword Geraldine, for the first time since it was ever given to him,now had a grip on its handle from someone other than its owner. It was severed in half,deliberately spilt by force,its other half resided in the grass below. Oragnusnake observed his gold tinted reflection as he twisted its handle.  
His grand nemesis, had been defeated,and yet the feeling he expected. Orangnusnake frequently reminisced to his teammates that destroying the enemy would leave him utterly overjoyed. He couldn't feel farther away from the word 'overjoyed',but he wasnt sure what he felt. That,or it was a feeling he didnt want to put to words.  
Walking away with his symbol of victory,his mopey steps were quick to take to long,prideful strides as soon as he got within sights of his fellow skypirates. Despite having quite the contrary reality,his teammates were expecting 'overjoyed' and anything else Orangnusnake was sure to stir alarm. He lifted up Geraldine as if it were some sort of prestigious award,and to the Skypirates, it might aswell be. Perhaps more.  
It was daylight now,and in the sun,what little unbroken gold remained on his new trophy lit up at its beams,and in turn,the skypirates faces lit up too.  
Fragments of light which were deprived from his enemies eyes even from his last moments he witnessed him alive.

_________________________________

His gloom was finally taken notice of,having been fully zoned out for five minutes at the least.  
Ramaraffe looked up from her feast ,with her entire face stuffed,and spoke through a mouthfuls worth of food  
"Why d'ya look so glum?!"  
She inquired muffedly ,a few stray crumbs escaping out into the air. Snugglemagne cringed silently,and Boss's fond gaze at the king shifted over to a grave disappointment at Ramaraffe.

"I'm not glum!"  
Oragnusnake was quick to insist,perhaps too quick. His tone was almost notably hostile.  
"Yea,right. You havent touched a thing!"  
Ratarang spouted smugly,he leaned out to grab Oragnusnakes untouched dinner,but Boss squatted his paw straight away. It wasnt as if he wouldve succeeded in it,given he was currently mounted onto a toddler's highchair and had Boss in the way,yet he still grumbled at his lost chance.  
"Wasnt eatin' it anyway" he grumbled to himself.  
Boss irritably sighed,  
"Sittin' up there gots you actin'like a child too."  
He moved his attention over to Orangusnake.

"Ah,your worried about the other two huh,son? Dont worry none,whatever they're doin' out there. You knocked the hard one outta the way."  
"Uh huh!" Ramaraffe chimed enthusiastically.  
"You dont need no worries,Hearts good as ours,eh? All do to you. Let's here it! All cheer for Oragnusnake!" Ratarang raved.  
"Orangnusnake,Orangnusnake Orangnusnake!!"  
They cheered loudly in unison. Orangnusnake couldn't be helped but smile warmly at their comforts. It was far off target from the truth,though even he wanted to buy in on the lie that this was merely some worry over the remaining deputies possible plans,he pondered what their whereabouts even were.


	2. Sleeping in

10'o clock. Some may say it was late,especially Mao Mao would say it was late;but to Badgerclops, it was perfect. He hadn't slept in this good for literal ages. 

Mao Mao managed to be both an early bird and a night owl,Badgerclops was neither,but that didnt stop Mao Mao from dragging Badgerclops down the path of sleep deprivation with him.  
He wondered what sort of luck he had in store today not to be woken brutally from either Mao Maos endless yapping or the preferable blaring of the monster alarm. He reckoned Mao Mao mightve felt apologetic after the heated argument that night. He knew he saw some regret in the way Mao Mao looked at him whilst parting ways,although the rough slam of the door said otherwise.  
Badgerclops threw off his covers,haphazardly crawling from the top bunk. As much as he appreciated the advantage of extra room that came with residing on the top ,he couldn't lie and say he was the most agile at getting down.  
Badgerclops was not alarmed to see Mao Maos bed empty,frankly,he'd be more concerned if it wasnt. Helping Adorabat he supposed,or maybe training out in the dojo,perhaps a mix of two.  
He could cross out anything with Adorabat,as soon as he stepped into the living room. Badgerclops saw she was sat happily out across the floor,accompanied by her mountains of papers with scribbly illustrations and indistinguishable blobs of paintings. To be described as disorganized would be a slight understatement, but Badgerclops could fairly care less. He and Mao Mao had managed to get a 'no-mess' sort of paint,making the tedious task of cleaning out carpet paint stains to a minimum. As long as she kept up the good habits of cleaning it up afterwards,he didnt think much of it. He leaned over to see the little artist at work.  
"What's that your workin' on,Adorabat?"  
Adorabat paused in the midst of her creating,turning over to Badgerclops with a beaming grin.  
"Its us! Me ,Mao Mao and you. And we're kicking stinky monster butt!"  
She exclaimed ,pridefully lifting up her piece to display to Badgerclops. It was an array of colourful neons of which neither he or Mao Mao possessed, he was a mix of cyans and oranges,and Mao Mao was a mix of electric blues and obnoxiously bright greens and reds.  
Not the most particularly exquisite work,but Adorabat was five,and Badgerclops still thought it was absolutely adorable.  
"Dude,that's great!"  
He enthused supportively,and Adorabats smile grew wider.  
"I think Mao Maos really gonna like to see that."  
"Mhm!"  
"Hes like,out training in the dojo or something,right?"  
Adorabat paused,her eyes narrowed as she thought.  
"Uh,I dunno,I havent seen him."  
Badgerclops scratched the back of his head.  
"He hasnt even come in to eat?"  
"Nuh-uh" Adorabat responded automatically, already going back to work.  
Mao Mao getting up at the crack of dawn and eating before Adorabat got up didnt sound too far fetched. He reasoned that there was really no reason for him to get worried,yet for whatever reason,a deep pit of dread resided within him. Despite the reassurances it didnt falter. He wonders where it could stem from,Mao Mao was quite upset last time he saw him. Maybe he just wanted to know if he was doing alright by now since the night had ended on a bad note.  
Badgerclops left Adorabat to her colouring,poking his head outside temporarily, the dojo was empty.  
"Ah dude,he went on patrol without us!"  
Badgerclops whined.  
Adorabat perked up from her work,sharing the same annoyance as Badgerclops.  
"Awh! Hes gonna fight big monsters without us!"  
Badgerclops gave an unamused shrug. Unfazed yet disappointed that Mao Mao would have the nerve to leave without saying anything, although he could frankly care less about sheriff duties.

"Nah,hes probably gonna have to arrest Pinky for doing something stupid again,taking candy from a baby or some other thing that's real dumb."  
He paused and snickered at his own words.  
" I just wish he woulda ,like, actually tell me for once."

Adorabat was much more upset on the manner,so much so,she had haulted in her drawing altogether. Now having an exaggerated pout.

"I wanna go see em! Hes probably gonna run into cool hero stuff without us."  
Adorabat whined.  
That was a serious doubt, in all honesty,he was mildly relieved that he hadnt had to walk around the valley searching for crime in a place with little to no crime outside of something occasionally petty.  
It was just an early morning stroll to him,and he happened to despise both the early morning and going for strolls. He couldn't resist Adorabats pouting, neither the ambiguous but nagging concern he abruptly had for Mao mao.  
He sighed perhaps a bit too heavily.  
"Alright,little guy,get on my shoulder and we'll go looking for him."  
Adorabat took to the air and fluttered right over to Badgerclops,sturdily propping herself on his shoulder as her pout turned right back to her old grin.

The aerocycle waited for them in the garage untouched. He supposed Mao Mao mustve decided to hike. Pureheart Valley was a few miles off,but he always did push himself like that. The thought crosses his mind that he might not have returned after slamming that door. He brushes off the thought,as ,even if he did,he likely was over their argument by now. He should just be grateful Mao Mao didnt actually take the aerocycle and leave them to walk.  
Badgerclops starts the engine,and goes for a wobbly take off. Mao Mao was always the better driver.  
The hike may make Pureheart seem like hundreds of miles away with its thick woods and scarce trails,Badgerclops couldn't begin to imagine it,he cant help but let his mind fall back to the final moments he saw Mao mao. Final moments? It's not as hes dead!- no matter. He puts his mind back to how grateful he is that Mao mao had not taken the aerocycle,thinking about anything else makes him nervous,peculiar for how minuscule the situation is.  
He nearly haults the aerocycle in the middle of the sky,he catches sight of something familiar,yet changed.  
Coming closer to the ground, he catches sight of what this familiarity is.  
The skypirates are there,and in Orangnusnakes hand,he holds a broken sword that does not belong to him.

_______________________________

The whereabouts was just where one would first presume,the Headquarters,and the plan,was nothing. He had spent the rest of the day comforting Adorabat, as much as he could. Of course,he had his own flood of feelings to be dealt with,but Adorabat was just as ,if not more,traumatized as him by the recent events. Adorabat was five,he couldn't fathom what kind of impact it would have if he hadnt been the strong one. Now Adorabat was asleep in her room,leaving Badgerclops restless and alone,no one for him to lean on. That person,the one to be there for him,his best friend,was taken away from him.  
He feels partially at fault,not having taken Orangnusnake as much as a threat. Anyone with a mind might have a smidgen of concern that the two enemies were having occasionally truces bewteen battles to train together.  
He knew it was faulty, an on and off rivalry between battles ,that eventually the truce would be broken by one of them,but never in a manner so dire.  
Badgerclops remembers how he expected to find it funny out of all things,that he would tell Mao Mao a satisfyingly playful 'told you so!' And now,he wont be able to tell him anything at all.  
That fucking asshole.  
  
Nothing but a backstabber,hes gotten what he wants and hes off somewhere gleeful about it.  
Hes digging his claws deep into the couches fabric now. Theres nothing,nobody to hold him back now. The claws go deeper,a huge rip sounds and the stuffing below is unveiled,overflowing and dropping onto the floor.  
It's not enough,so he knocks over the stand aside it,letting the lamp and picture frame tumble to the ground with it.  
It's still not enough,he arises and gives the table a harsh kick. Its then when he finally says its enough,although it doesnt feel like it.Mentally,atleast,his leg aches from carelessly banging against such a hard surface. He swears he heard shuffling from the other room. Hes probably already woken up Adorabat,not that she was any less restless then he.

He falls silent again,and he realizes hes been crying. His eyes feel like acid drifting down his skin,and his throat burns.  
Badgerclops sniffles,wiping off his face,but he can still feel the burning dampness trickling down it.  
Hes began a search across the living room,he cant let someone so driven by justice go without it,and letting Orangnusnake go by and simply moping around was doing just that.  
A crumbled up notepad,almost full with his own numerous scribbles taking up its space,but theres a page or two, it's just enough room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ik the Badgerclops POV is kinda sudden,next chapters gonna be a lot more Orangusnake and Mao mao oriented I swear hhg


	3. Muffins Famous Cherry Cobbler

(Several months before)

The two swiftly made their way through the vast woodland bordering Pureheart. They both were so busy in their pursuing combat ,that they had yet to realize exactly how deep in the nature they've traveled and how close night creeps.  
Orangnusnake found it difficult to keep up with the cat,now speeding off,his small shape leapt around and became indistinguishable with the growing dark. He was gaining on him,somehow making out the sounds of his movements and the flair of his red cape,a factor that ruined a good portion of his natural camouflage with the shadows. Occasionally, a pair of sharp eyes would stare back at him,as if to both see if he still followed and presumably to taunt him for falling behind.  
He was nearly out of breath,and several times he had been close to tripping over the roots ,branches and whatever else lay littered amongst the ground.

Mao Mao haulted ,and Orangnusnake came close to yet another tumble because of how sudden his stop had been. His ears perked up,its shape vaguely lit by the hints of growing moonlight, his eyes turned to glare at him once more,its viridescent hue sticking out again like a sore thumb.  
"I just realized.."  
He muttered, sounding as if he wasnt sure he should continue his words.  
"I dont know where we are."  
He finally continued his sentence with a bit of a stutter,something odd to hear from him outside of the occassional defending of his damaged ego.  
Orangnusnake was still catching up with his breathing,giving him time to reflect on those words amidst trying not to pass out for running for such a duration of time. He took a moment to take a glimpse of his surroundings ,with what little he could distinguish in the vague outlines in its vast dimness,nothing was ringing any bells. Despite his familiarity with the outside of the valley,they'd trailed off far from the area around his crashed ship that hes gotten used too. He too,had no idea where they were. "Yeah.." Orangusnake agreed,now nearly caught up in his breaths.  
"We are like,totally lost."  
It fell quiet,to only the winds brushing against trees,both individuals in a mutual lost for words,and a general lost for what to do at all. Orangusnake didnt know whether it was appropriate to keep fighting ,or to to figure out their current whereabouts,he supposed that inner conflict was mutual aswell,but before he could think much more on it,Mao Mao already came to a solution.  
"We should..uh.." Again,he had that delay in speech,he seemed to have a suggestion in mind,but an uncertainty whether or not to speak it. And yet again,he reluctantly continued nonetheless  
"We should build a shelter for the night."

"What?" Orangnusnake asked flabbergasted 

"Its- Its part of the heros code! - only in..dire situations,if you get lost..pulling a..uh..truce." He speaks fast,almost in a way that's flustered.

Mao Mao pulled something out of his sash,a worn brown book,on front,a cat vaguely resembling himself.

He flipped through it haphazardly, mumbling something under his breath,Orangusnake is certain hes dropped a few swears,hes having difficulty finding what page in particular he needs. His face lights up ,and it seems he is satisfied in his search.  
"Yes! How to build a shelter, here..alright I need you to get that branch over there"  
"I'm not taking orders from you!"  
They were only a little lost,even if the situation really were dire,he would still go out of his way to not abide to doing such a thing as revolting of following orders by his nemesis,of all people. Orangusnake took orders from nobody.  
"Its getting dark,and cloudy, if you really want to stay out in the cold,dark-"  
Orangnusnake abruptly snatched the booklet from his paws before he could finish.  
"Give me that! I got this, so you get that piece of wood over there,and find a big rock-"  
Mao Mao crossed his arms and stood idly on his ground with a flat expression.  
"Well,dont just stand there!" Orangusnake snapped.  
"Cant we just work together on this?"  
"Fine-"

___________________________

Oragnusnake could barely keep up with the rest of the Skypirates boundless energy. They were practically bouncing in their steps,and Oragnusnake was treading behind in a heavy sulk. He was doing his best in order to make it unnoticeable. Every few seconds,he would make sure to increase his pace to keep up with his over enthusiastic allies, but right as he had caught up,he was back to his slow trudging.

The streets were slightly barron,he would say it had lost a lot of its livelihood before if he knew what a peaceful day looked like. His presence,especially now,never garnered the fondest of attention, so he hadnt ever actually gotten much of a glimpse of its humbleness.  
A few sweetypies roamed around,giving hard glares as he passed,and although most shops had been closed since the few days of the takeover. On the whole street,one remained open,a bakery. He did his best in avoiding it,despite the appetitizing aroma it emitted he still lacked an appetite. However,the rest of the skypirates were not as easily immune to the scent. They were already excitedly gravitating towards it ,pressing their faces against the glass and admiring the pastries that displayed at the other side.  
"Do you wanna try some cobbler?"  
A high pitched voice inquired,shoving a newly baked cobbler,fresh hot off the stove. Orangusnake looked to the source of this particularly irritating voice,meeting eyes with a pesky little sweetypie mouse.  
\-------------

It took surprisingly fast,despite the prolonged awkwardness that came into working together,which only continued after their quaint little makeshift temporary abode and faint fire had been finished.  
They both sat in this continuous shared quiet,only interrupted by the page flip caused by Orangusnakes snooping through Mao Maos Maos flimsy family code.  
He finally spoke up,breaking the quiet once more  
"A lot of these rules are really...uh.."  
He couldn't seem to find a word to describe it.

"Stupid? Youre looking at the cobbler one,aren't you?"  
Mao Mao was quick to assume,that rule wasnt the one to evoke Orangusnakes comment,he hadnt even reached the page mentioning that rule. At first,he thought Mao Mao could possibly be joking,having a rule against something so obscurely specific yet harmless that it was almost comedic.  
But as Orangusnake skimmed the pages to find whether Mao Maos was spouting a fool's tale or not,he was met face to face with the mentioned rule.  
"That's a rule?! I mean,I hate cobbler,but - That *is* stupid."  
Mao Mao only shrugged unfazed  
"I dont really follow that one. I really like cobbler,actually. I love cobbler. Wait, you hate it?"  
"Yeah! It's basically crumbled up crusty pie..ech..I hate it,especially cherry"  
Mao Mao gave a disgraceful look that he couldn't tell whether it was exaggerated jokingly or he truly was that insulted by his opinions on a certain dessert.  
"Cherrys the best flavour! You truly are a villian."  
"Not liking Cherry is what makes me a villian? Not my totally rad pirate ventures? If that's my claim to villainy,then what about your supposed heroic ancestors who wrote it?"  
Mao Mao almost seemed genuinely insulted, mostly over the fact he was right Orangnusnake thought, his point was only proved further when Mao Mao fumbled over his words trying to fathom a comeback.  
"They liked it! It was just..too good for them"  
Orangusnake snickered.  
"But you're good enough for it?"

Mao Mao had come to terms that any comeback he'd reply with would just fall flat,knowing he considered himself gravely below his family.He had gone silent again and It was almost a little bit sad,almost.  
He thought he was going to need to figure out some sort of small talk to keep it from going quiet once more,but Mao Mao was able to beat him to it yet again.  
"You know,you got really good precision in battle,but i think you need to up your pace and agility."  
"Excuse me?! I am great at ALL of those things!" Orangnusnake arose his voice accusingly.  
"I'm being constructive!" Mao Mao retaliated "I got my pace and agility down, but if I want to be a better hero I need to learn better precision,Badgerclops says its because I get too hot headed in the heat of the fight when im not winning yet-and I dont-well,just a bit,but its something I need to work on.."  
Orangnusnake took a moment to grasp where Mao Mao was going,and once he did,he had to take another to consider whether that was really what he meant.  
"Are you suggesting ..we help train eachother?"  
The idea sounded horribly outlandish, he was certain that he mustve misinterpreted it,likely way off from Mao Maos true intention,but he was met with a anxiously subtle nod.  
"Really? That idea sucks."  
Mao Mao was rapidly twiddling with the fabric of his cape,he was coming close to tearing it with how frantic his fidgeting was.  
"If you want to be a legendary Skypirate,and I want to be a legendary hero,its a way to do it.. We'll put our differences aside,but for training *only*"  
"It still sucks."  
There was some gain from it,however,now that he pondered on it further,gaining his trust was an easy passage to Mao Maos defeat. The betrayal would be even more satisfying when it came. He could already see the look on his face, and he nearly chuckled aloud.  
"Actually ,it doesnt totally suck.."

\---------------

Muffins was essentially attempting to shove the cobbler in his face by now,or,at least as much as she could,as her stubby legs didnt stretch far enough to reach past his leg. As much as the sweetypies feared him,it only made some of them even more adamant to their irritating kindness.

He grunted "What would make you think I would want this stuff?" He remarked distasteful.  
The cobbler was lowered,and muffins looked off sheepishly.  
"Well,you had come to buy it several times.. I thought you might want some!"

\------------------------

Orangusnake hated cobbler,especially cherry ,but now one rested in his lap. It wasn't for him,and what made it worse was that it was for his rival,whom be impatiently waited to not fight, but train with. He wondered what may have possessed Mao Mao to want to do this,or for him to willingly oblige. Mostly then agreeing to it,was the fact that he had brought cobbler,which played no part to his obligations, he simply did it because he had remembered Mao Mao being fond of them.  
All part of his plan,he excused,he justified the spontaneous gift by explaing to himself that this was only to gain his trust further. Still,he found the whole situation odd,how Mao Mao even came to suggest the idea,maybe he had the same plan of betrayal in mind. He's starting to think they weren't really lost the other night,or ,atleast Mao Mao wasnt. As soon as daylight hit,before he could even start to worry about it,Mao Mao knew exactly how to get back. Mao Mao was quick to blame it on poor eyesight given their pitch black surroundings that night,but hes quite certain cats actually have a knack for seeing in the dark.

Now he thinks about it more,that night was also a perfect opportunity to get rid of Mao Mao,but again,he really had no idea how to get back without him. Which is what he assumes made him hesitate to take him out whilst he rested ,content by the warmth of the fire. No matter,he'd get the chance again,and when it did come,itd be a lot more exciting then it would if he had done it before.  
Orangnusnake stops reflecting on the recent events,instead,he now notices how irritably late Mao Mao is.  
He stood up,gazing out on the horizon in search of a flicker of red,he sees nothing but grass and trees ,and parts of the distant Pureheart valley sticking above them ,not a soul otherwise. Orangusnake let's out an exasperated sigh,hes about to sit back down ,but as he does,a voice startles him.  
"Hey"  
It's from behind,Orangusnake whipoed around,facing Mao Mao grumpily.  
"Jeez! Are you trying to scare me to death?"

Mao Mao chortled at his comment,its hearty yet soft. His eyes drew to the cobbler residing in Orangusnakes hands,a flash of mild surprise crossed his face.  
"Is that for me?"  
"Yea. Your welcome by the way."  
"Is it..poisoned?"  
Orangusnake paused. He actually didnt think of that,but he shouldve. Then again,it must've been a bit of an obvious plan if that was the first thing he asked right off the bat.  
"No..and why would I say it if it was?"  
Mao Mao was the next to freeze up,haulted by the realization of how idiotic it was to be so blatant  
"You..have a point, but- I say you should have some of it yourself,to prove your not a liar."  
Oragnusnake groaned to an obnoxious degree,and with much begrudgement,drew a finger across the cobbler and put it into his mouth,cringing at the overly sugary taste.  
There was that signature laugh again, now more hearty then soft,he wasnt trying to hide it now, perhaps going out of his way to let Orangnusnake know how much it amused him.  
He took the cobbler from his grasp,digging in before Orangusnake noticed he hadnt been holding it any longer. He never knew Mao Mao could be so messy. He could already hear word for word what type of lecture Hoss wouldve given him if he were to have the misfortune to witness the piggish and impolite display.  
"Euck! Your even more disgusting then I thought,could you just finish it up already?"  
Mao Mao looked up,giggling yet again with his mouth full ,and face smothered in cherry sauce and crumbs,he couldn't begin to imagine how revolting sticky his fur could've been.  
"You gave me a whole cobbler,give me time to finish it."  
For a blissful moment,he stopped.  
"-Where'd you even get this,you didnt steal it did you?"  
"Of course not, I'll let you know that I, for once,bought it fair and square."  
"Where'd you even get the money too?"  
"Well that *was* was money I stole,did you forget the whole reason we were fighting? But ,I still used it to buy it fair and square"  
Mao Mao pushed the already half eaten tray away.  
"Cant believe I was so reckless to eat something used from stolen money, that's a definite violation of the heros code.."  
Now it was Orangusnakes time to chortle.  
"So's eating cobbler!"

\---------------------

"I didnt know you liked cobbler!" Ramaraffe interjected,looming over the two to admire the pastry  
"I swore he hated it." Hoss recalled,Orangusnake felt himself getting tense.  
"Why didnt you bring any cobbler for us if you were getting it all the time?" Ratarang whined.  
"Because I didnt!"  
Orangusnake snapped back immediately, Muffins eyes had begun to water up,of course they did,but Orangusnake couldnt care less. He acted alone on the emotions in the brief moment they arose,roughly swatting away the cobbler from the little mouse's dainty hands,letting it smash against the pavement below.  
The sweetypie was bawling now,as he predicted, and the rest of his crew almost looked remorseful of it. More so for the lost treat splattered across the dirty stone.  
It didnt last long,however,as they all shifted their attention onto Orangusnake, he didnt have to look to know what their faces told.  
He knew what question was coming next.  
Hoss rested a hand on his shoulder.  
"You ok,son?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put a little explanation for when flashbacks take place in hopes it would make it a little less confusing, hopefully it doesnt take away too much from the fic and tell me if it's still confusing and I'll tweak it ech.  
> The next chapter isnt chapter 4,I had to add it because ao3 was being glitchy and thought I posted these chapters with chapter 1,so it didnt show up as updated until I had to add another.


	4. Test (ignore)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Test

Testing something bc chapters wont show up in tags as updatedfjfjfjfjfjdjdjdjffjfbfbfjfjfjfebfurnfifbfbdjaiw.


	6. Discontinued

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discontinued ,read for more info

Hi! Unfortunately I no longer take interest in this fic,I do like Maomao but after like a year I dont think I can get in the zone of it anymore to the extent I can finish this. 

SPOILERS. 

the twist also used something Kind of similiar to what I did in another fic,and might bring up later when making a comic or something. No,Orangusnake did not kill MaoMao,his father did due to associating with a villian and all the jazz that causes shin mao to look down on his son in canon. Its been a year since I planned this all out so my recollection is obv shabby. I have another fic where there's a twist w the dad being a villian that does a murder so like.nfjfjf just felt like it could be a redundant theme in my writing, just so happens both characters just have gross dads whom I despise immensely and im not as creative w twists bAHSHDD   
other then that. I think they bonded over training more and it was sort of a slow burn in that aspect . I dont think there's ever really a falling out? But mm got more distant when he knew Shit was going down. They smite shin mao n expose him in the end

SPOILERS OVER

If you have any questions abt the fic or anything else. Feel free to shoot a comment. I do apologize for those looking forward to this and im thankful for everyone who supported me ,I'm just. Not really into this and not really into the writing of this, but I still admire that people liked it! Ok. Signing off. Sorry this got kinda rambly fjfjf


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